that was one of the most interesting things I have watched in awhile. It makes me feel a little better paying the premium that they want for their gear. I would much rather vote for qaulity tooling in wales than whatever is happening in china

Met the owners in Spain last year. Really cool bunch of guys - very laid back and very passionate about the gear they make. I don't think twice about spending more money for DMM (of course here it's no more than BD, which is kind of a joke next to DMM).

That video was rad! That laser etcher at the end was super cool. The dumb American in me enjoyed every time they talked about aluminum and belay devices. On a side note however...those jobs have to suck. Can you imagine being the guy that drilled 14 million carabiner holes? Just standing 8 hours a day drilling holes. Blech.

Crag tools made by cragsmen for use at the crag - what a concept. I like the hot forging dies, just put a billet of aluminium on it and hit the button....BAM. Yes some of those jobs seem tedious, but DMM looks like a good source of jobs in an old slate mining town, where I doubt there's much else.

Every climber should see this video. Thanks for posting. A great video and a great company. Makes me really appreciate all of the effort that goes into the gear I carry around and use. Didn't They buy out Wild Country or was it the other way around? Details? Thanks -Alan-

Every climber should see this video. Thanks for posting. A great video and a great company. Makes me really appreciate all of the effort that goes into the gear I carry around and use. Didn't They buy out Wild Country or was it the other way around? Details? Thanks -Alan-

Not quite! Salewa (Italian gear manufacturer) bought Wild Country almost a year ago, before that I believe they shared some factory space/equipment in Llanberis but were separately owned.

Very interesting video, thanks for the link! I really want one of those giant biners now just to see reactions when I whip it out at the crag.

I love this quote: "We tried to automate the [drilling] process, but Gareth was more efficient."

I was kinda surprised by the lack of safety glasses in a few shots...especially the one with the guy working the milling machine. I would have expected workplace safety standards to require eye protection. It only takes one stray piece of sharp metal to seriously fuck up your eye.

I have had the chance to visit the factory in person and had a full tour. Needless to say I was suitably impressed. There is more that goes into making climbing gear than many people think.

What a lot of people probably don't know is that DMM regularly bid for work manufacturing climbing equipment for numerous other companies. This has included making Rockcentrics for Wild Country, Reversos for Petzl and carabiners for Mammut.

I think this is probably where the confusion over the nature of ownership of Wild Country and DMM has come from, but they are and have always been separate companies. As mentioned, Wild Country is now owned by Salewa.

Operated as two seperate companies but owned by the same people, briefly united and Wild Country moved to beside DMM in Wales and were then sold to Salewa for undisclosed reasons which will almost certainly remain that way.

I think you're right but it's a bit misleading. Until WC was bought by Salewa last Feb, they operated as an independent company. But like you said, DMM ownership bought them in '96. Ask anyone involved and you can tell they are holding back in whatever kind of answer they give. Probably a lot more to it that any of us will ever know. Jim Titt would know...

It isn't misleading. If DMM as an entity bought WC that is what I would have said.